Flora of North America species comparison

annual, climbing, branching, to 2.5 m, herbaceous, glabrous;

prickles absent.

perennial, climbing, often zigzag distally, branched, terete to 4-angled, stout, to 5+ m × 5 mm, woody, glabrous or infrequently with stellate trichomes;

prickles often absent distally, tips black, flattened, broad- based, stout, 4–9 mm, rigid.

evenly distributed;

petiole ± equaling blade;

tendrils numerous, long, functional;

blade lustrous, dark green abaxially, narrowly to broadly ovate, 8–16 × 3.5–9 cm, often with minute, whitish pubescence abaxially mostly on veins, with transparent trichomes, base cordate, margins entire, convex, apex long-acuminate;

leaves on branches with oblong, smaller blade.

evergreen, ± evenly dispersed;

petiole 0.7–1.5 cm;

blade pale green, often with white blotches, drying to uniform tan, thickish, broadly ovate to lanceolate-ovate or hastate to pandurate, with 3(–5) ± prominent veins, 3–10 × 2.5–9 cm, not glaucous, glabrous or minutely pubescent abaxially, base cordate to truncate, frequently lobed;

margins entire to remotely spinose-ciliate, thickened by ribbed, cartilaginous band, often revolute and appearing as prominent vein parallel to margins, apex rounded to short-apiculate.

numerous, axillary to leaves, 10–35-flowered, globose;

peduncle equaling or shorter than subtending leaf.

few to numerous, axillary to leaves, 10–15+-flowered, moderately dense;

peduncle 1.5–6+ cm.

perianth greenish;

tepals 3.5–5 mm;

anthers shorter than filaments, ovules (1–)2 per locule;

pedicel 0.5–2.2 cm.

perianth pale green;

tepals 3–4.5 mm;

anthers shorter than to ± equaling filaments;

ovule 1 per locule;

pedicel 0.8–1.2 cm.

black, subglobose, 8–10 mm, not glaucous.

black, ovoid to spherical, 6–8 mm, shiny to dull, sometimes glaucous.

;

rhizomes tuberous, woody, or stoloniferous.

= 26.

= 32.